The future of medicine: nanobots

The advances in technology have managed to change the world and the way we live today, and the studies and research in the field of medicine and technology with the use of nanobots represents a new field that opens the future to treatments that can extend, by far, the life expectancy of humans. The use of nanotechnology in the medicinal field has been put to practice for a few years now, with many pharmaceutical and medicinal labs using nanofibers and electrospinning equipment to introduce new techniques in the development of medicinal advances.

Scientists and researchers at the University of Cambridge are working to bring medicine to a new stage, that is, to bring the benefits of technological advancement to the patient with the use of Nanobots, which “navigate” our body and can even repair internal damage, prevent organ malfunction and serve as patches to stabilize our cellular function.

Nanotechnology brings together sciences such as physics, biology, chemistry, engineering and social sciences to understand, manipulate and exploit the physical characteristics of matter at the nanoscale.

The use of nanotechnology with which Cambridge scientists currently work represents a 50-year breakthrough in the field of medicine, which will enable us to live longer and have more effective treatments in the near future, for example, to destroy cancerous immune cells through nanotechnology or nanobots.

According to the progress made by the Cambridge Academy of Therapeutic Sciences, nanobots patrol our body to detect serious damage and repair small heart attacks, and leave no evidence of the event, or develop and use biological scissors, which are capable of cutting or deleting defective genes.

Following the new opening of the new academy of the Cambridge Academy of Therapeutic Sciences, it is being achieved that these advances of science and technology applied to medicine, and supported by the research of teachers and doctors, are being directed to a new form of treatments “Of the future”, in the present, and in a way to achieve to change the quality of life of human beings.

Dental tourism, actually one of the most popular

Commonly known as dental holidays in Europe, it is actually a subset of medical tourism which is experiencing an important growth in this late times, since people from all around the globe is on a more frequent basis using their vacations to seek dental care outside their local healthcare systems. Today, globalization has created an interdependent market which is developing exponentially, where technologies spread out throughout the world quicker than ever, allowing people to find good dental care services at locations where costs are way lower than those at their places of origin.

But, why is this happening?

This has become an unstoppable phenomenon due to the economical differences existent nowadays amongst countries, especially between those that share borders. Obviously people seeking dental care, travel for a huge variety of reasons but an undeniable fact that affects decisions is driven by money, being able to have access to the necessary solution at a significant lower cost, is a strong element in decision making, even more when the quality of the service is as good as the local one only by passing over to a neighbor country.

For example, people from Austria travel to Albania, Hungary, Ukraine, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania and Bosnia. Citizens from the United States and Canada go to Dental Solutions Algodones Mexico in Mexico, Costa Rica, Peru and Ecuador; patients from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland, Turkey, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Hungary, Ukraine and Poland; and from Australia to other countries of South-East Asia. Some people travel because the funding of public healthcare at their place of choice turns out to be more convenient, or the general access to healthcare at that specific place fits their personal needs.

Freedom of practice

But not all the reasons for dental tourism are due to economics. In Europe, dental professionals are allowed to move their practice from one country to another and they are required only a minimum set of qualifications approved by the country of destination, giving them a greater freedom of practice. This is intended by the union to standardize dental services all over the areas of its members. Furthermore, dentistry universities of the union have developed programmes to help their students on completing some of their education at foreign facilities. This standardization brings down barriers for patients mobility within the area.

How about quality?

Since the main reason in most cases is related to pricing, low prices come with dentists that offer minimum fixed costs, less government issues and lower expenses including those derived from insurance to patients with a high income. Outside the country of origin, many bureaucratic steps are inexistent, allowing dentists to focus more freely on their task. Procedures such as porcelain veneers or dental implants become affordable for many people that can not pay for them back at home. And right here is where the main questions about this matter are focused. First, does price differentials imply lower quality results?, and second, Is it safe to undergo a large scale dental procedure abroad on a short period of time?.

The answers here are NO and YES, and here is why. As previously mentioned, globalization has a lot to do with this, because the latest technologies, materials and techniques are more accessible today than ever before anywhere in the world. In the first case, a dentist with a proven professional record, will charge the appropriate fees according to the country where they work, and the lower price does not necessarily mean poor quality, it means that the patient comes from a place where income is higher but expenses are higher too. In the second case, it is easy to figure out that the answer is affirmative since, as stated in the previous point, quality has nothing to do with the price in this case, and regardless of whether the procedure is something simple or complex, if the work is well done, there is no reason to expect any further problems.

PRAMA, the new revolutionary interactive fitness program taking the wold by storm

This revolutionary new fitness and training method is proving that with the addition of modern technology you really can get amazing results in improving your fitness levels.

The technology used plays a vital role in every training session. This is PRAMA, where you train to the rhythm of music and lights set according to a session programmed to suit you. It add a true sense of fun and achievement. Demand for PRAMA classes are already high as word travels about this new interactive exercise, and it is now the new hot trend in gyms across the US and UK.

This revolution is reaching gyms that are at the forefront of modern fitness, who are adapting their available spaces to cater for this new concept in interactive fitness that combines music, choreography and technology.

But what is PRAMA? The easiest way to describe it is to quote Jennifer Coccia, the Director of Asfalt Fitness in New York, who said that her clients felt as if they were entering a crossover between an arcade game and a playground, “yet getting the best workout of their lives”.

The PRAMA system coordinates music, lights and time and for those who their normal training has become mundane can revitalise that motivation and help them get that joy from working out once again. This is what lies behind the whole concept, bring the fun and party element to fitness, in an immersive, interactive and very motivating experience.

“A crossover between an arcade game and a playground”

The treadmills, static bicycles and all the usual paraphernalia you expect to find in a usual gym are put aside to make way for what seems to be like “a crossover between an arcade game and a playground,” says Marcos Requena, CEO of Pavigym.

But PRAMA is not about improvisation or random workouts. These approaches are not productive for getting the best results. Instead the trainers will push their clients through a series of electrical choreographed workouts, interacting with them through the floor, walls and other areas, to complete a series of exercise circuits with high intensity.

PRAMA is already being spoken about in all the major media, and we are seeing many famous athletes, such as FC Barcelona, Boca Juniors or Nicolás Anelka players have trained using the PRAMA methodology. It is really taking off across cities like New York, London, Paris … all this has only served to increase demand that is exceeding all expectations of the gym directors who have deployed it..

The users of gyms are demanding it because, even though the primary focus of improving fitness and health is still there, because it is provided through a fun concept, it becomes enjoyable for those who previously would have found the work out a real chore. You almost forget you are working out!

What can you expect from the PRAMA experience?

The musical factor is key to the experience, it has long been known that music helps with a workout. PRAMA goes one step further and throws lighting into the mix as well to make it truly immersive. The LEDs work in time to the music and move at the rhythm of those taking part. The walls and the floor are all part of the game.

To give a practical example, those who have spent their childhood playing the Twister from time to time, -the game consisting of putting one foot in the blue circle, one hand in the red one and so on until you can’t do anymore without falling over- can understand a little of what this revolutionary method is about, although in a very simplified way.

Another example is those console dance games carried out at home where you have to follow the choreographed moves, or using a dance mat, is similar and known to be great for fitness and losing weight.

Of course the issue with those examples is that movement is restricted, you can’t stop or pause without the game ending. It is not adaptable to help you achieve fitness goals and it doesn’t help you grow. You can waste a lot of calories stopping and starting.

PRAMA easily adapts to the needs of adults, families, children and athletes

The system is programmed according to each person, be it an elite athlete or a beginner but you can also find programs for children and families. The sessions are 45 minutes and are beneficial for the body and mind, so they can even be rolled out in centers with children with ADHD and other problems, but also can be practiced as a family as a way to improve the time spent together but also improving fitness.

Each 45 minute session can also be ramped up for more intensive workouts, and gives a huge advantage to practitioners of the force program. In this program the floor and walls are complemented by medium to high load accessories, to transition the interactive elements into a more HIIT format that doesn’t work well for everyone.

So there really is a workout intensity for every age group and capability, including an innovative one in which you can play a PRAMA version of basketball, a combination as healthy as addictive, which can only be a good thing when it comes to forming those lifelong fitness habits.

In fact if you know you’re going to the gym, it will make people more inclined to use their membership and actually go, and better attendance means better member retention.

A definitive full body workout suitable for any age and ability, and highly adaptable.

It is not only for losing weight, although results there are pretty good so far with PRAMA, given that it is a system more likely to be stuck with long term. It is also a change to gain strength and agility, and have fun with friends and family.

The ground and walls are sensitive to pressure, and the interactive screens and light combinations that attune to the body’s highs and lows during a workout show just how clever this new system really is.

The search for our identities—where we came from, what we’re made of—is a unifying human experience, and our collective fascination with ourselves as individuals has fueled a booming industry around personal DNA testing. Once difficult and expensive even for the most technologically advanced labs, genetic testing is fast becoming a cheap and easy consumer product. More than 12 million people have had their DNA tested by different companies, and that number is expected to grow substantially in the next few years. With a little spit and 200 dollars, you can find out your risk for everything from cystic fibrosis to lactose intolerance.

What Can I Find Out with my DNA test?

Any type of genetic testing, from the consumer-based kits that anyone can buy to the versions that doctors order, can only glean so much information from your DNA. Medical conditions like cancer and heart disease are complex and not likely to be traced to a single aberration in DNA. However, there are some genetic variants that do link to a stronger chance for certain conditions. In those cases, having the genetic change doesn’t ensure that you will develop the condition, but could mean that you have a higher chance of getting the disease.

To sort that out, a Spanish company has created its own unique chip that is able to identify more than 360 information items in the DNA, among which is the susceptibility to polygenic or complex diseases, the diagnosis of monogenic diseases, pharmacogenetic information and phenotypic traits. Thanks to this incorporation of exact biomarkers, the result of the TellmeGen’s DNA test is a 28% more accurate system, compared to than offered by other companies such as the american ‘23andMe’. This makes it a revolutionary DNA test because it offers the analysis of more items at a lower price. The goal of TellmeGen is to provide access to genetic information to people from anywhere in the world. In order to do so, they have developed a platform to store, interpret and update the genetic information when new mutations are discovered. TellmeGen is currently studying more than 555,000 mutations, and they provide this new and updated information at no additional cost.

How Does It Work?

After extracting DNA from your cheek swab or saliva sample, DNA testing companies search your DNA for certain genetic variants. The building blocks of DNA are chemical bases called nucleotides, which come in four varieties—A, T, C, and G (adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine, respectively). We have 3 billion pairs of these bases, so 6 billion letters in all, strung together in a sequence. Altogether, this genetic information is called your genome.

DNA testing companies determine which of the four letters is present at many locations in your genome. Much of the sequence is shared among humans, so the companies focus on specific letters that vary from person to person, known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Many SNPs have some biological relevance. For example, having one variant of a specific SNP near the gene OCA2, which codes for a protein believed to be involved in producing the dark pigment melanin, makes it much more likely you’ll have blue or green eyes. Other traits and even some diseases are also associated with certain SNPs, some more strongly than others.

The pioneering technology behind TellmeGen’s system is the genotyping chip, which is then analyzed in the sequencers of their many laboratories spread throughout Europe and Latin America. Thus, the system is based on scientific evidence and reaches 99.99% reliability. To get their DNA tested, all the user has to do is putting a sample of his saliva in the tube that arrives at home inside the TellmeGen Kit box and send it back to the company. You can get the DNA test on Amazon.com. Four to six weeks later, the client receives an electronic notification that his health map is already available online. In addition to the genetic information, each item in the genetic map is associated with the latest recommendations on health prevention. The users also have access to a free public forum where they can interact with medical professionals to interpret their results, and they can also hire the services of a specialist for a better interpretation of the results in an individual consultation.

How Much Does It Cost?

The idea of knowing our health’s risks in advance to be able to prevent diseases is always appealing, but the real question is: how much does a DNA test cost? TellmeGen wanted make genetic health maps affordable to everyone, and in order to do so they based their strategy on adjusting the costs. After years of previous study and analysis, they finally managed to launch TellmeGen DNA test kit, which reduces the average 3,500€ price to 199$, greatly improving the ratio items / price of any other market test.

Plus, the analysis offers four types of results in a single analysis for the same price: risk of the most common diseases, monogenic diseases, pharmacology and personal traits. In addition, in a few weeks ‘Ancestry’ will also be offered for the same price. Customers who used the kit prior to this will not have to pay more, as the results will automatically be updated for free.